The concept of fishing goes back before the beginning of recorded history, and man has continued to fish to provide food to eat and, today, as a recreational sport. As time has past, we have developed more and more refined fishing equipment and techniques to attract and catch fish. Some problems, however, have remained unsolved. For example, when fighting a large, strong fish, a fisherman may become worn down and in order to save the rod may have to cut the line, thereby loosing the fish as well as the hook and lure. This occurs because the fish, while trying to swim away from the fisherman, is using its entire body to pull away from the fisherman. On the other hand, the fisherman is balanced on two feet and must resist the pull from the fish by pulling with his or her arms and back. This means that a fish weighing 70 pounds can overpower and beat a fisherman weighing 165 pounds. A fish much smaller can beat those who are out of shape, have back problems or are physically challenged.
Many devices have been developed to hold a fishing rod. The devices are attached to the rail of a fishing boat or driven into the ground. These provide a stable base for boat or shore fishing. However, these devices allow no mobility during fishing. If the fisherman wishes to move, he or she must have someone hold their rod while moving the rod holder or vice versa. Several of these rod holders have bite detection systems. However, no bite detection system can compete with the sensitivity and discerning intellect of a human holding a rod. Nor do these devices aid the fisherman while fighting a fish. When a bite is detected, the fisherman removes the rod from the rod holder and fights the fish in the standard method.
Another set of devices which currently exist are wearable rod holders. These are formed of a cup or tube into which a fishing rod may be placed, a back plate to distribute the forces applied by the fishing rod and some form of attachment. The attachments range from a waist belt to a hook which hooks over the waistband of a user's pants. These devices provide vertical support for the fishing rod while the fisherman is waiting for a bite. While fighting the fish, the user must still user his or her arms and back to fight the fish, and if the rod remains in the holder, the back plate presses into their abdominal and groin areas. These devices do not increase the user's ability to fight a fish, nor remove any strain from the user's arms and back.
Therefore, there is quite clearly a need in the fishing industry for a device which would allow a fisherman to use more of their body weight and other muscles to fight a fish while still allowing mobility and versatility.